Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

"Next..."

It was only when Liu Bei finished speaking that he realized Natsuki Subaru's eyes had lost focus.

The last slit between the upper and lower eyelids contained nothing but a void of darkness.

Subaru Natsuki's consciousness has reached its end.

Liu Bei lowered his eyes, clenched his fist in his sleeve, and finally sighed:

"It's all fate..."

The next moment, Liu Bei's voice rose sharply again, filled with a grief that seemed to tear the night sky apart:

"Subaru Natsuki, obey my command!"

Natsuki Subaru's body paused for a moment, then suddenly stiffened!

"Practice until the very last moment, then commit suicide to return to heaven!"

As soon as the order was given, Subaru Natsuki raised his arms in accordance with Liu Bei's will.

Before the final move was fully completed, two swords stopped at his neck, one on each side. Natsuki Subaru wanted to take one last look at Liu Bei, but he didn't even have the strength to lift his eyelids.

The next moment, he moved his own hand, and the blades of both swords simultaneously slashed across his neck.

Blood spurted from his neck, and Subaru Natsuki's body trembled violently, causing his twin swords to fall from his hands and land on the ground.

Control ended.

Natsuki Subaru ended all his suffering in an instant, passing away sadly with blood spilling out.

Liu Bei stood in front of his corpse, took a deep breath, looked up, and sighed.

"It's all fate."

His gaze toward the heavens held sorrow and regret.

Finally, he looked at Subaru Natsuki and then at the endless night sky, murmuring something to himself:

"I hope you can stay as clear-headed as you are this time in the next round."

----------

The moment the sword grazed his neck, leaving two bright red marks, Natsuki Subaru was freed from his frail body.

Pain, the sound of wind, the aroma of wine, and Liu Bei's voice were all dragged into the distant darkness.

It was as if something was stroking the top of his head.

A feeling of heaviness in my eyelids and a sense of coolness in my mind came at the same time.

It felt like a cool summer night.

It makes you want to sleep peacefully without any worries.

Just as Natsuki Subaru was about to comply, he was suddenly grabbed by hundreds of invisible hands that emerged from behind him. Then the whole world began to spin and stretch before Natsuki Subaru's eyes, and finally shattered completely.

"I am back."

The moment he opened his eyes, Subaru Natsuki muttered to himself unconsciously.

Just as he expected, the scene he saw when he opened his eyes was no longer Xuchang, nor the Roswaal mansion covered in ice and snow.

Instead...

A green light floated above my field of vision, and numerous unconscious spirits swam slowly within the room. Familiar healing magic enveloped my body, and a warm power seeped into my skin.

Tower of the Sages.

The Green Room.

In other words, the timeline for this return from death is...

Before Natsuki Subaru could think further, the two figures guarding the stone bed immediately noticed the commotion and pounced on him almost simultaneously.

Capella grabbed Subaru's left arm, while Shaula squeezed in from the other side, clamping his right arm tightly against her chest.

The pressure from the two men made Natsuki Subaru, who had just woken up, feel a tightness in his chest, and he almost fainted again.

"Subaru, you're finally awake! I was so worried about you..."

Capela got shy halfway through her sentence, just like in the last time she was in the loop.

Shaula's reaction was, as always, completely undisguised.

"Master, why is that guy swinging the bat there?!"

She clung tightly to Subaru's arm, sobbing, her emerald green eyes still gleaming with the terror she felt upon seeing Red.

"That wicked guy is all strength and no substance! Xia Wula has never seen anyone stronger than him! We are no match for him! Master, please don't go!"

Natsuki Subaru listened to these familiar words, but he did not reply immediately.

Instead, he first looked around, his gaze sweeping over: Elsa, who looked worried; Merry, who blushed and stole a glance at Subaru Natsuki being surrounded by women; and Clarissa, who looked envious.

Then Natsuki Subaru looked down at his arms.

I clenched my fist tightly, and sure enough, everything remained the same.

A complete palm, movable fingers, and blood flowing again under the skin.

These are the arms that Capela restored for him.

In other words, this is the time after he first challenged Red, and was knocked unconscious by the first Sword Saint who swung his club and severed both his arms.

The sword techniques taught by Liu Bei are still etched in my mind!

Although he was only controlled to practice once, Natsuki Subaru had already grasped the sword technique to an almost perfect degree. The movement of every muscle and the resistance of every bone were deeply imprinted in his mind.

Red's sword made him see the shortcomings of his Hatred Heaven Sword Technique.

The sword of benevolence passed down by Liu Bei gave him a way to deal with the changes in the situation.

As long as the swords of benevolence and righteousness are integrated into the Heavenly Hatred.

Then, I'll challenge Red or the old hero Wilhelm, and maybe then I'll be able to cross the threshold of the Heaven-Hating Sword!

Subaru Natsuki's eyes shone brightly.

But right now, there's something even more urgent.

That is Emilia's safety.

In the previous cycle, all he knew was that Emilia and Ram were missing and their fates were unknown when Roswaal's mansion faced an invasion by the Witch Cult.

As the saying goes, if one's fate is unknown, then one is dead!

It's a foregone conclusion that Emilia died in the previous cycle.

However, at this point in time...

Perhaps there's still a chance to change everything...

Natsuki Subaru raised his hand and gently patted Shaula and Capella on the back, signaling them to stop crying.

He then began to immerse his consciousness in the memories Roswaal left in the Book of the Dead from the previous cycle.

Roswaal's last memory is of the Sanctuary amidst the heavy snow.

Go back in chronological order of that memory.

Roswaal and his party should still be on their way back to the border mansion.

There are still at least three days until the blizzard that will freeze all lives.

In other words, he still has a chance to change all of this.

Subaru Natsuki's gaze turned somber as he recalled the terrifying behemoth that summoned a blizzard and stood atop Roswaal's mansion.

His brows furrowed slightly.

Indeed, there are countless heroes in this world!

No wonder this world regards the Witch Cult as a monstrous threat.

I never expected they actually had such a ferocious beast! Subaru Natsuki has already tacitly accepted that the giant beast that can summon ice and snow is a subordinate of the Witch Cult!

Otherwise, there's no reason why Capella's Gospel says the Witch Cult is targeting Emilia, but then we don't see any Witch Cult, and instead we see that white behemoth!

However, Natsuki Subaru then burst into laughter.

That's awesome!

The Witch Cult is really powerful!

Only in this way can we preserve his reputation as a bishop who committed heinous crimes and who bore the burden of arrogance!

But I need to think about the more important things first.

Natsuki Subaru regained his composure!

In any case, he only had three days left.

Three days later, Emilia will die in that blizzard.

He must find a way to stop the giant beast before that happens!

Subaru Natsuki slowed down his movements.

As the art of war says, "An army driven by desperation is bound to win!"

Subaru Natsuki felt that he had suffered repeated setbacks, and that he should have been able to defeat the giant beast on his own this time.

But when he clenched his fist, he realized that his strength was not up to par with that of a desperate soldier.

Completely unaware of where he was wasting his resources, Natsuki Subaru could only think of other solutions.

Normally, there are only two ways to stop that ice behemoth.

Increase your own strength, or find a powerful enough helper.

Subaru Natsuki already had a general idea of ​​the path ahead.

He combined the Sword of Benevolence and the Sword of Righteousness with the Heaven-Hating Sword Technique, and then took that final step...

But as he thought about it, Subaru Natsuki shook his head again.

He has now memorized the core concepts of the sword of benevolence and the sword of righteousness.

However, swordsmanship still requires practice to allow the body to adapt.

Three days might not be a short time for an ordinary person, but it was far from enough for him who needed to cultivate unparalleled sword techniques.

With just this little bit of time, let alone taking the final step of the Heaven-Hating Sword, it would be impossible to even max out the proficiency of the Benevolent Sword and the Righteous Sword.

Therefore, he could only choose the second option—finding help.

Subaru Natsuki's first thought was Reinhard.

The sword saint of this world.

However, Subaru Natsuki quickly dismissed the idea.

Remember that time at the loot storage? It was Reinhard who helped him fight Elsa.

The capture of Capela was also accomplished so smoothly thanks to Reinhard's significant contribution.

Owes favors are secondary; they can be repaid with fine wine.

But things shouldn't happen more than three times.

The last time he asked Reinhard for help was the last time he asked Reinhard for assistance.

I feel it's more appropriate to save it for a more important occasion...

Natsuki Subaru shook his head slightly, determined not to ask Reinhard for help in this incident.

It's just a frost behemoth!

If no other outside help can be found, he can just die a few more times and use his own life to hone his proficiency with the Sword of Benevolence and the Sword of Righteousness.

We'll get through it eventually.

Of course, this was a last resort. If given the choice, Subaru Natsuki would definitely prefer to complete the game in one life.

Is there anyone else who can help him fight against the frost behemoth of the Witch Cult?

Thinking of this, Natsuki Subaru suddenly remembered the Aiko organization he had just recruited.